Sri Lanka to witness rare ‘smiley face’ planetary alignment on Friday

Skywatchers in Sri Lanka are in for a rare celestial treat tomorrow (April 25), as a spectacular triple conjunction involving Venus, Saturn, and the Moon will briefly align gracing the early morning sky.

According to Dr. Janaka Adassuriya, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Physics at the University of Colombo, the rare astronomical event will be visible to the naked eye in the eastern sky at around 5:30 a.m., provided there are clear skies and an unobstructed view of the horizon.

“This is a unique opportunity. It’s not often that three celestial bodies—Venus, Saturn, and the Moon—come this close together in the sky in a way that can be seen without any special equipment”, Dr. Adassuriya explained.

The rare triple conjunction will resemble a smiley face when viewed from Earth. The trio will offer its grin for about an hour near the eastern horizon before the sun begins to rise.

Mercury may also appear below the triple conjunction depending on your location, although for many it will remain out of sight below the horizon.

Unlike other regional sky events such as a total eclipse, the upcoming triple conjunction should also be visible to just about anyone in the world.

--With agencies inputs